Murmuring Shadows
            A dark pathway descends at geometric angles through deep greenery, metal railings glimmering in the late afternoon light.
            Now we are in a quiet circular space, flowers in the center, memorializing the many whose memories rest here.
            Walk a little further, and we are in shady forest. Gentle shadows envelop visitors with a calming sense that encourages contemplation.
            Artfully placed benches invite visitors to be still for a moment in the comfort of nature.
            A lone person on a bench may be communing with the spirit of a lost loved one. The benches emanate a welcoming spirit. Empty seats may in fact be occupied by the essence of old friends who have found each other.
            The eastern end of Golden Gate Park tends to be a lively place full of cars, bikes, and pedestrians, hurrying from one iconic visitor site to another. The AIDS Memorial Grove is a hidden spot of tranquility within that.
            The subtle paths that lead into the AIDS Memorial Grove are easy to miss. Those who do find their way will encounter messages of love, loss, and a resilient spirit of carrying on despite the most heartbreaking and difficult circumstances.
            This beautiful, quiet place reverberates with the indomitable spirit of love enduring.
            This week’s Hike Notes, AIDS Memorial Grove – Golden Gate Park, sweep us from the bustling, noisy part of Golden Gate Park into a comforting, tranquil forest space.
            Please feel free to share. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photos! Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. 
            The list of hikes is getting long! Please check the Quick View Hike List or scroll down the main Hikes page to see the current list of hike notes.
New this week:
Hike Notes 82: AIDS Memorial Grove – Golden Gate Park

Anticipation
            I first heard “Steep Ravine” when looking up new trails to hike in Marin County. The name exuded an enticing mixture of a promising hiking adventure and potential peril. Photos of winding stone stairways and a ladder for climbing a steep part of the trail put this on my do-or-die list.
            I later found out about cliff side rustic cabins of the same name facing the Pacific at the end of the Steep Ravine Trail. No electricity, no indoor water, no showers, bathrooms down the trail. These are still the most sought after cabin reservations in the area, despite the bare bones accommodations.
            Steep Ravine Trail. Steep Ravine Cabins. I built up expectations in my head long before I was able to actually experience them.
            Did they disappoint? They did not. Several hikes on the Steep Ravine Trail, connecting from various trails, and multiple stays in those rustic cabins later, I can report that every visit brings a magical sense of the nature unique to these places.
            This appreciation may be due in part to the iconic essence of these sites, and in part to wisdom gained over time. Years ago, I might have felt crestfallen when all did not match my pre-conceived image of perfection. I’ve now gained the ability to appreciate unexpected twists and turns, and take joy in discovering fresh realities which never exactly match my anticipation.
            This week’s Hike Notes, Rocky Point Road to Steep Ravine Cabins, introduce a paved road walk from Shoreline Highway—Stinson Beach in view—down to the iconic Steep Ravine cabins, only accessible by car if you’ve snagged a hard-to-get reservation that comes with the gate code. Walking gives more time to enjoy the scenery! View in this photo is from Stinson Beach looking toward the Steep Ravine Cabins.
            Please feel free to share. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photos! Check the Home page for the broader background story. Click Insights/Hike Update News for inspiring reflections. 
            The list of hikes is getting long! Please check the Quick View Hike List or scroll down the main Hikes page to see the current list of hike notes.
New this week:
Hike Notes 81: Rocky Point Road to Steep Ravine Cabins

Home Away from Home
            A rustic wooden cottage. Trees and blue sky reflecting in water. Leaves blowing across a path. A lone figure flicking a fishing line.
            Images from my childhood in the Adirondack foothills float into my head unexpectedly, triggered by parallels appearing thousands of miles away on the West Coast.
            Nostalgic childhood reflections can pop up whether we live thirty miles or three thousand miles from the place we grew up.
            I treasure the early years I spent running barefoot in the woods and creeks of rural New York State.
            Now a city dweller, I am even more grateful for the abundant sources of stunning natural beauty that I find in every direction in the San Francisco Bay Area.
            This week’s Hike Notes, Bison, Fly Fishing and Horses – Golden Gate Park, introduces a walk my family thinks of as “our own back yard.” Within a short distance, visitors can see bison in a historic paddock, visit the Anglers Lodge and Casting Pools (the “fly fishing pond” as we call it), and the San Francisco Police Department horse stables, all of which bring back memories of back east for me.
            Please feel free to share. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photos! Check the Home page for the broader background story.
            The list of hikes is getting long! Please check the Quick View Hike List or scroll down the main Hikes page to see the current list of hike notes.
New this week:
Hike Notes 80: Bison, Fly Fishing and Horses – Golden Gate Park

Forging Ahead
            As a kid, I often created plans in my head, honed down to the finest details.
            The world doesn’t usually spin according to the perfect images in our heads. The slightest deviation from my intended outcome would throw me into a tizzy. It would take buckets of frustration tears before I could step forward along the path of reality.
            My son on the autism spectrum can’t express this verbally, but his behavior reflects the same pattern when things don’t go as he imagined.
            Whether a small scale plan (an activity for the day), or a large scale plan (one’s personal life and career), obstacles appear unexpectedly. The weather changes. Support systems change. Our own capacities change. 
            Stomping our feet in frustration in the same spot immobilizes us, physically and emotionally.
            Moving forward on the logical path in view extracts us from the dark-place emotional mud pit. What initially feels like failure is usually an opportunity to learn and grow.
            This week’s Hike Notes, San Bruno Mountain - Ridge Trail, introduces the highest trail on San Bruno Mountain. (See San Bruno Mountain - Saddle Trail for another hike in this area.) The clear cut paths on this high ridge make it easy to keep putting one foot forward.
            Please feel free to share. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photos! Check the Home page for the broader background story.
            The list of hikes is getting long! Please check the Quick View Hike List or scroll down the main Hikes page to see the current list of hike notes.
New this week:
Hike Notes 79: San Bruno Mountain - Ridge Trail

He Ain’t Heavy
            Nowadays most people know someone with a family member on the autism spectrum. It has become so prevalent that people who meet our family—with our younger son clearly dealing with challenges due to his autism—quickly tell us that a nephew, a cousin, a granddaughter, or a friend’s friend is dealing with similar challenges.
            Much attention is paid to the struggles of parents trying to help their special needs children. Emotional stress, financial stress, the stress of trying to interact with society when your family doesn’t fit in easily.
            Only in recent years has more attention been paid to siblings of special needs family members. Whatever disability one child may be dealing with—physical, cognitive, emotional—it means that the “typically developing” siblings often get sidelined. Parents are relentlessly “putting out fires” on the health front, school front, safety and survival front for the child with more urgent struggles.
            In siblings whose needs were unavoidably put on the backburner, a spirit of generosity and understanding often shines through. It is a bright spot reached through adversity.
            Our older son takes it upon himself to take his younger brother by the hand when we go on hikes. “You go ahead, I’ve got Sean,” he says, offering tired parents brief respite to shoot photos, or just stop and gaze at the scenery. 
            Thanks to all the siblings who help their special needs brothers and sisters. We know it’s not easy!
            This week’s Hike Notes, Oak Woodlands Trail-Golden Gate Park, takes readers on a scenic, woodsy trail hidden right in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. We discovered this trail for the first time recently despite living right by Golden Gate Park for decades!
            Please feel free to share. If you’re not able to take one of these Northern California hikes, hopefully you can enjoy the photos! Check the Home page for the broader background story.
            The list of hikes is getting long! Please check the Quick View Hike List or scroll down the main Hikes page to see the current list of hike notes.
New this week:
Hike Notes 78: Oak Woodlands Trail-Golden Gate Park